Neuropathobiology of senile dementia and mechanism of action of nootropic drugs.

Recent advances in neuroscience and molecular neurochemistry have substantially increased the knowledge of the neuropathobiology of senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease. On the basis of various hypotheses concerning degenerative processes in aging brains, new therapeutic strategies have been developed, including nootropic drugs with different mechanisms of action and heterogenous chemical structures. Mutual relationships exist between neuroscientific research and nootropic drug development. To date, such areas of research and drug development have involved deficits of brain neurotransmission (cholinergic, monoaminergic, peptidergic), free radical-induced damage, disturbances of calcium homeostasis and excitatory amino acid function, and deposition of amyloid protein.